Time Consumer, Time Consuming
by mrsaturn123
Summary: A short story based on Coheed and Cambria's comic, The Amory Wars and their song "Time Consumer" Coheed Kilgannon is about to commit the worst crime he could imagine...and it's to his own children. But he must to save the worlds from destruction.


First thing I've posted here in a VERY long time. Damn. Oh well. I hope you enjoy this crappy little oneshot. It's not like I write that many of them anyway. And of course I just had to pick the one thing no one knows anything about unless you're a dedicated fan of Coheed and Cambria. Hehe.

There was a certain part of their comic, The Amory Wars, that I thought wasn't depicted with enough emotion and I wanted to see if I could truly express it in the way I felt it should have been.

You better like it anyway.

Kidding.

----

**Time Consumer, Time Consuming**

This was it. This was the moment.

The dreadful deed I set out to do was about to be done.

My heart beat harder and louder with every creaking step up those damned stairs. I was careful not to spill a single drop from the two glasses I held in each hand. I was careful to keep my hands from shaking any harder, or else I would lose my grip on those two, cold, glass cups entirely. Those two bitter cold glass cups...chilling me down to the very depths of my soul, encasing it in a forever frozen layer of ice. I counted the steps as I walked. I counted them down. Twelve, eleven, ten, nine...I was so close and I could no longer feel my hands. I could no longer feel the condensation the was likely dripping down the side.

I finally had made it to the door way. I looked down the stairs to see if Cambria had followed. I could see nothing. She was likely still in the same position I left her. I could still see the sorrow in her eyes. The pitiful anguish that showed in her face. I couldn't bear to think of it any longer, and I wiped my mind of the image. I could not let it defer my horrible task. I stared, trembling at the solid oak door. I felt beads of sweat forming on my forhead, dripping down my face and trickling into my beard. I was hesitating. I couldn't allow myself to do that. I was running out of time, precious time that I needed not to waste. This had to end. I had to get this the hell over with before it was too late.

Finally I released myself from the immobilizing fear of what was to come and . I slowly cracked it open and peeked my head into the silent room. There they sat in their beds. Still awake as I had imagined. Children were predictable, no matter what time I told them to go to sleep, they would always stay up. Maybe if they had their own individual rooms to sleep in but they were twins, I didn't have the heart to seperate them from each other. Oh well...

It wouldn't matter soon anyway...

"Hey kiddos," I spoke softly, trying to hide my true emotions ", What are you still doing up?"

"Aw, sorry Dad," Matthew slunk under the covers. Neither of them were expecting me to appear.

"Yeah, we'll go to sleep now," Maria added.

"Nah, don't worry about it," I replied, not caring if they had been up all night at this point. Nothing they could do at this point would anger me. "I figured I'd come up and see my two favorite kids in the whole world before I went to bed myself. I miss you guys you know. Have to work a lot."

"Yeah Daddy, we miss you too," Maria chimed in ", Why do you have to work all the time?"

"Well you know...hard times. I've got to feed you guys you know? Keep a roof over our heads..."

I paused a moment, reflecting back on the days when things were normal and when I felt like everything was under control. The days when I didn't feel like everything I thought I knew hadn't blown up in my face and left me broken and lost.

I set the two cups down on the nightstand and sat down on Matthew's bed.

"Hey you two come here and give your old Dad a hug okay?" I held my arms out. Maria jumped out of her bed and Matthew out from under his covers and they both sat on either side, embracing me. Each of my arms wrapped around them entirely. I felt so big and powerful next to them, and they seemed so small and frail next to me yet they trusted me completely. I was their father after all. They were comforted knowing I'd always be there to protect them, no matter what...

"Did I ever tell you guys how much I loved you?" I asked them, holding them close ", I love you more then you could ever even know."

Matthew and Maria both looked up at me with their big innocent eyes. I looked to Maria and then back to Matthew.

"Dad...is something wrong?" Matthew asked ", You look sad..."

This caught me off guard. I wasn't quite expecting him to ask such a question. I must've shown it too much. I wasn't good at hiding my emotions I guess.

"Oh Matthew..." I sighed ", It's...it's gonna be okay...I'll be fine. I'm just a bit stressed you know. Just a bit worried I'm not getting to spend enough time with you guys. Work's just been such a time consumer for me..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Time was short. Yet...

I decided not to let time consume me.

I picked up Matthew and put him on my shoulders. I rode him around the room like I used to do all the time. He laughed and cheered and Maria jumped up and down saying "Me next! Me next!". I did the same with her and then we wrestled around. I let them climb up on my back and everything. It felt like a life time had passed since the last time I played with my two youngest children. God I missed those simple days so much. I missed their laughter and their bright, shining faces. Those beautiful smiles...

I wished I could have frozen time in that one moment and just rewind that short span of time and replay it forever and ever. I wish that I could have just stayed there but as I looked at the clock I realized I could not. I glanced fleetingly at the two glasses on the nightstand and remembered...

We sat back down on the bed together. Maria on my left and Matthew on my right, still laughing away without a care in the world. It was better that way. How I longed to be them. It's true what they say, ignorance is bliss.

"Hoo boy...you guys tire me out you know that?" I laughed ", I'm exhausted..."

"Hey Daddy, why did you bring up those two cups?" Maria finally asked. Instantly I felt my blood run cold.

"I...I thought you two might've been thirsty," I felt the numbness coming back into my hands and starting to run all the way through my body.

"Thanks Dad," Matthew jumped up from his seat with Maria and they each grabbed their glasses. That image instantly was burned into my mind forever.

They sat back down next to me and looked up. I was no longer looking at them, but was staring down at my knees. My expression likely wasn't showing one of happiness any longer. I was positive that it showed nothing but terror and anxiety, yet I couldn't do anything to change that at the moment. They noticed easily.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Maria asked, sounding concerned.

I couldn't answer for a moment and then I turned to her quickly and forced a smile. It took all of the strength I had left to do it.

"N-nothing Maria...everything's okay...everything's going to be alright..."

"I love you Dad."

"Yeah, you're the best Daddy in the world."

Those words...they felt like sharp spears that pierced my heart. Those words rang in my ears and echoed on and on into the deep darkness of my soul. I couldn't take it any longer. I couldn't do this. I couldn't, I just couldn't.

"Matthew, Maria..." I turned to look at them and froze solid. Both of them were sipping from those dreaded cups.

"No!" I shouted, but it was already far too late. The deed had been done.

Everything seemed fine for a moment as they looked at me in confusion. Then one started to cough, then the other. They both dropped to the floor in a fit of coughing. Strange boils began appearing on their skin. They clutched at their throats and gasped for breath. I could only sit by helplessly and watch as this living nightmare was happening right before my very eyes. Something I never would have dreamed of happening in my lifetime.

Suddenly all went silent. The two glasses lay on the floor, what was left of their contents spilled on the floor in little green-tinted puddles. Next to them, the two bodies of my now late children.

I, Coheed Kilgannon, had murdered them.

I couldn't stand from the horror and shock. I slowly crawled over to them and lifted them up into my arms and rested them on my knees. I stared into their cold, lifeless faces. Suddenly I snapped, I clutched their bodies close to mine. I felt the warm tears burst from my eyes and pour down my face. I could hear my painful sobs and feel the violent convulsions that they caused. I was a monster. I was a horrible, horrible monster and I had killed my own flesh and blood. My two youngest children. I wished I could have been the one to drink that dreadful coctail that caused the death of two innocent, pure souls. They didn't deserve this...

But I had no choice.

It was them or the lives of all the worlds. Billions, maybe trillions of people. Seventy-eight planets, all would have died had I not commited this heinous crime. Yet it it didn't matter. The cost to me was greater then that.

I held them closer and tighter then I had ever before, almost hoping that my warmth would bring back theirs. I held them so their faces touched mine and whispered quietly to them...

"Maria my star...Matthew...good night..."

----

Well...that had to be the most depressing thing I've written in my entire life. I'm sorry for ruining your days all of you. Go read something happy.

If you don't understand then I'll tell you.

Coheed (the narrator) had a virus in his body that he supposedly passed on to his children that mutated and turned into something that could spread throughout the planets and wipe out civilization as they knew it. Yeah. It was that bad.

I won't reveal more in case any of you ever read the comic.

I hope you enjoyed it whether you know the story or not. Listen to Time Consumer...hell go listen to that entire album.

Good day to you.


End file.
